Running gear correcting apparatus



31, 1939. s w MARTIN 2,177,669

RUNNING GEAR CORRECTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 3l, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

oci. 31, 1939.

S. W. MARTIN RUNNING GEAR CORRECTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5l, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY Y y 5M /'z W TORNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 31, 1935 m/ A 7M WW a f 7 w M0 m wf HJ G n W ml, n-. d A w d20 Ill Oct. 31, 1939. w MARTlN 2,177,659

RUNNING GEAR CORRECTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 3l, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTGR.

Oct. 31, 1939.l

S. W. MARTIN RUNNING GEAR CORRECTING APPARATUS Filed Deo. 3l, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 3l, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to checking and aligning devices for the running gear of vehicles, being particularly applicable to wheel, axle and steering gear portions of automobiles. An iml portant object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the entire steering geometry and alignment of the supporting portions of the s/teerable wheels of a vehicle may be checked, and any inaccuracies and their extent determined,

l and whereby faults or inaccuracies so disclosed may be corrected. v

Another important object 'is the provision of an improved and simplified checking device for determining the caster, 'camber and kingpin in- Il clination of the steerable wheels of a motor car.

Still another object is the provision of improved means for checking the toe-in of such wheels.

A further object is the provision of means for simultaneously checking the steering' radius of 20 both front wheels, and determining any inaccuracies in the relationship thereof and their extent.

Still another object is the provision of improved checking means for determining axle in- 25 clination.

A still further object is the provision of an improved and simplified bending device for correcting axle deformation, whereby the axle or equivalent wheel-supporting portions of a motor 80 car may be bent or twisted in any desired direction, while cold, without removing the same from the car, and without even the necessity of removing the wheels, thereby enabling correction of dlsallgned steering elements as well as the ,3,8 straightening of axles and the like.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, wherein reierence is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my inven- 40 tion,`and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views. j

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a front wheel of a motor car, showing one of my improved checking instruments attached thereto;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the checking devices and its supporting means, sectionally showing a wheel spoke to which the device is clamped;

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views taken substantially on the lines 3-3, 4--4 and 5 5 respectively of Figure 2, and looking in the direc- 55 tion of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the bottom of the instrument;

Figure 7 is a plan view of another improved checking device for determining inaccuracies of turning radius, also sectionally and fragmentarily showingfa wheel and adjacent supporting portions of a motor car in conjunction with which the device is adapted to be used;

Figure 8 is a side view of the instrument;

Figure 9 is an end view thereof fragmentarily showing a wheel in elevation;

i Figures 10 and 11 are plan views of the indi cator plates or scales used upon such checking devices;

Figure 12 is a plan view of a front'axle and wheel 7assembly showing two complementary checking devices of this type, in use, one upon each front wheel, indicating the manner in which they are used cooperatively upon both front wheels of an automobile simultaneously;

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 12 of a somewhat modied form of the invention;

Figure 13a is an enlarged plan view of the adjustable scale portions of this embodiment;

Figure 14 is a fragmentary sectional view of the front wheel of a motor vehicle, showing in ,iade elevation one of the instruments of Figure Figure l is an elevational view of a front wheel and axle assembly of a motor car, sectionally showing the front springs, indicating the use and showing the construction of one of my improved axle levels, forming another element of my checking apparatus;

Figure 16 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the axle level and its supporting means;

Figure 17 is a section taken substantially on the line Il--Il of Figure 16 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 18` is a view similar to Figure l5 of the front axle and wheels of a motor car, showing one of my improved toe-in gages appurtenant and as used in conjunction with the same for gaging toe-in;

Figure 19 is a side view of the front portions of a motor car, also indicating the use of the toe-in gage in checking the relation of the front wheels;

Figure 20 is a front view of the indicator portion of the device;

Figures 21 and 22 are vertical sections taken substantially'on the lines 2|-2I and 22--22 respectively, of Figure 18, and looking in the direction of the arrows. the wheels appurtenant in the latter view being omitted;

Figure 23 is an elevational view of one of my' improved axle-bending devices, with the shackle or yoke portions removed;

Figures 24, 25 and 26 are perspective views showing, in conjunction with a motor car front axle, one of my improved bending devices in use, and in positions enabling bending the same ln various directions; and

Figures 27 and 28 are similar views showing the device in use for twisting the axle in different ways.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, reference character 25 designates a housing, which may be generally T-shaped', as best shown in Figure 2, which carries two spirit inclinometers 21-23 arranged at right angles to each other and visible from the top face of the instrument. The inclinometer 23 carried by the stem portion of the Ty is provided along opposite sides with caster and'camber calibrations, as 30, 3i respectively, preferably reading in degrees, while the transverse inclinometer 21 carried by the head portion of the T-slhaped body is calibrated, preferably also in degrees, to designate kingpin inclination, as at 33.

At a suitable point, here shown as the top mid'- portion of the head of the T-shaped body, the

device is'connected as by means of a ball and socket joint (the ball being designated 35 and the socket portion 36) to a clamping device 33,l by means o'f which the instrument may be secured to a suitable'portion of a vehicle wheel. It is here shown clamped to the spoke 40 of an artillery wheel, and the illustrated clamping device comprises a fixed jaw 4|, and a movable jaw as I2, which latter may be forced toward or retracted from the xed jaw by means of a thumbscrew 43.

Also carried by the body portion o1 the instrument and visible only from its rear face, are a pair of spirit levels, as 45-46, arranged perpendieularly to each other and one carried by the head and the other by the stem portion of `the casing.

As best shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, the casing of the instrument may be hollow, and the inclinometer andievel tubes may be positioned in an initially plastic material such as plaster Vo! i Paris which sets or rigidiiies upon standing, ton hold them in place. The supporting .mass in which the tubes are embedded is designated 4 1.

Each level is so related to the Aopposing inclinometer which lies opposite it in the same branch of the casing that when the instrumentv is inverted and the level bubble is centered, the opposite inclinometer would read at zero if the iii'- strument were rotated degrees about a horizontal axis.

The camber calibrations 3| appurtenant the inclinometer 29 are so disposed that when the instrument is attached to a front wheel at a point spaced from its axis, as shown in Figure 1 for example, with the stem of the casing projecting substantially perpendicularly from the plane ofthe wheel, and the device is first ieveled in inverted position by means of the levels 45-45, upon tum; ing the wheel through 180 degrees, which may be done by merely rolling the car until the wheel has turned a half revolution, the bubble in the inclinometer will designate on the camber calibrations the camber angle of the wheel.

The caster calibrations 30 are so disposed that when the instrument is similarly clamped to the jecting substantially perpendicularly from the' plane ofthe wheel. and' with the wheel turned to a dennite steering angle (a given number `of degrees from the straight-ahead position) after which the inclinometer bubble is centered by tilting the instrument until the bubble rests at zero on scale 3i, the wheel may be turned about its steering axis to an equal angle in the opposite direction, and the bubble will designate degrees of caster upon scale 30.

The scale 33 is so calibrated with relation to the inclinometer Tir-that .by a similar operation, upon swinging the `wheels from an initial steering angle and posnioning the bubble at zero by leveling the instrument, and then 'turning the wheel to an equalbut opposite steering angle, the bubble will move to a position designating the degree of kingpin inclination on the scale.

It will be seen that this instrument may be clamped to and leveled at','any portion of the wheel spaced from its='ax'is';and by simple movements of the "wheel, whichmrnay be performed without jacking up the car,by"'merely rolling the car to turn thewheel througha desired angle, and by swinging thewheels about the steering knuckles, ythe kingpin inclination,v caster and angles may be very quickly and accurately determined. A.

Before beginning any such gauging operations as those just described, it is" desirable either to see that the agile or other member to which the wheels being checked are attached is level, or determine the degree of its inclinationif out of level. My 'preferred construction for determining axle inclination, as shown in Figures 15, 16 and may be slidable along the bar,.over which it is accurately fitted, las best shown in Figure l2.

Friction means for holding it against undesired movement is provided inthel form of a springpressed lball 55. The's'u'pportin'g hooks 33-54 may alsobe provided with'downwardly projecting lugsas 55 of reduced size and Iaccurate length, to .facilitate-,forcing the hooks downward into proper metallic contact with the top of the axle `through dirtl or other foreign matter, as best shown in lFigures 10 and' 12.

If by .means of inclinometer 5I! the axle is determined. to be out of level, allowance may be made for such condition by simply adding to or subtracting from the camber and' kingpin inclination readings the number of degrees which the axle is out of level. The taking of vthese read- .ings all in degrees by both the checkinginstrument first described and the axle`inclinometer makes possible such corrective allowance.

In order to determine the degree of toe-in`of :lects through the baseof the support $0 to lock it in desired position. An outwardly projecting contact element 65 is carried by the top of the support 60, and at the top of the opposite sup-l port 6I an adjustable contact element is formed by the thumbscrew 66. Thumbscrew 36 is car- `the front or steerable wheels I preferably employ ried by the upwardly projecting extremity of an indicating needle 61, which is pivoted on a transverse axis over the frame 6|, and at its lower extremity adapted to sweep a scale 68.

In operation, it will be seen that coarse or v initial adjustment of the distance separating the tires of the two front wheels of the car, prefusr erably as'iar forward as is practicable, in the manner shown in Figure 18 and in full lines in Figure 19. 'Ihe thumbscrew 66 is then-turned until the needle, 61 is centered at zero, after which thefentire device is moved to a position in which its contacts similarly bear against the tires in a similar position at the rear part of the circumference of the wheels, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 19. When the abutments 65-66 are thus similarly forced against the sides of the tires at the rear, the needle will be moved to a diierent position in accordance with whatever .difference in the distance separating the front and rear portions of the tire may be present, and the relative movement of the needle which has taken place may be observed to de- "termine the extent of toe-in. This determination may also be made without taking the weight of the car oi the wheels, although preferably when therinstrument is moved from the front to the rear position, the car is rolled sumciently to so turn the Wheels that inmaking the rear reading the abutments may engage the same points on the tires as they did in making the front reading, thereby preventing wheel or tire irregularities from affecting the reading. The multiplication of the relative movement of the contact by the length of the needle 61 vwill be seen to make possible very accurate determination of the degree of toe-in.

In order'to check the accuracy or determine port it beside the front wheels of the car under test upon the iioor or other surface upon which it is standing. Pivoted upon-the nose of the triangular base 10, as upon a pin 15, is a pointer 12 arranged to sweep a. scale formed in cooperating' sections carriedl by separate plates 13-14. 'Ihe scale platesare mountedupon the broader rear end of the base, and one, as 14, is slidable relatively to the other toward and from the pivot bolt 15,-being' shownadjustably secured to the base 10. by meansof screws passing through slots Miny the plate.

Also swingably movable with the needle 12 and pivotal about the bolty is a transverse bar 16 to which is pivote-d on a horizontal axis a swinging frame 11, which carries at its end a transverse wheel-engaging rod 18 adapted to extend across and contact the outer side wall of a tire at two point's, as best shown in Figure 9, when ythe device is positioned beside the wheel and the 'rod lleaned thereagainst.

ing the turning geometry ol.' the ear, and the opposing instruments of the pair are similarly constructed, but oppositely calibrated. The reversed arrangement and calibration of the indicator plates used on right and left side instruments is clearly brought out in Figures 10 and 11 respectively. One of the scale or dial plates on each instrument, as 13-13a, may have its scale portion (S2-82a) calibrated in degrees of turning radius, while the other dial plate of each, as 14-14a, may be so calibrated, as at 83-83a, that `when in use during a checking operation, and the equivalent needle on the opposite instrument of the pair designates any given number of degrees of turning radius of its front wheel (on the scale 82--82a) the needle 12 will indicate on the scale 14 a line having the same numerical value if the wheels are correctly adjusted.

In order to compensate for the differences of tread and wheel base of various cars, the plates 14-14a may be adjusted in position toward and from the pivotbolt 15 by means of the screw and slot securing means above described. To determine the proper positioning of these plates the side of each abutting the plate 13-13a may be provided with an edge scale, as 85-85a, calibrated in wheelbase values, while the adjacent edge of the plate 'T3- 13a is provided with a cooperating scale 8484a calibrated in tread or track values; these indicia being so arranged that when the line designating the tread of the car under test is aligned with that indicating the wheel base of the car, the scale 14 is in a proper position for determining the propriety of the relationship between the wheels in cooperation with the scale of the opposite instrument.

In the somewhat modified construction shown in Figures 13, 13a and 14, the body of the chart or scale portion of the indicator. is formed in two sectoral plate sections 90-9l pivoted together as by the pivot bolt 15a to permit their angular adjustment relatively to each other.

The plates 90-9I vare ladapted to rest at upon the floor and are provided with overlapping scale portions 84a-85a, calibrated in tread and wheel base respectively, for adjusting the instrument to cars of different dimensions in a manner analogous to the scale adjustment provided in the embodiment last describedy by the movability of plate 14. Along the edges of the plates 90-91 are ruled a plurality of parallel lines, calibrated on one plate vin degrees of turning radius and on the other ycalibrated to indicate the same numerical value when with the scale plates properly adjusted and the wheels properly aligned, the opposite wheel is turned to any given angle. The sections 85 calibrated in degrees and the sections 82 calibrated arbitrarily to agree -numerically when the relationship between the wheels is correct are disposed oppositely on the units for the two wheels, as shown in Figure 13.

In-this embodiment the pointer 12a is directly attached to the wheel, as by means of the clamp 86 and articulated arms 81,-88, the former attached to the clamp 86 by a ball and socket joint 89, and the latter pivotally attached to the pointer, which is thereby held spacedly above the scale portions carried by the plates, for free swinging thereover upon turning the wheels about their steering axes. It will be seen that in order to initially position the apparatus it is only necessaryA to set the wheels straight ahead and so arrange the plate assemblies 90--9l on the iioor beside the opposite wheels to be tested, and so connect the pointers thereto that the latter indicate zero with the wheels in that position. The plates are of course preliminarily adjusted for the track and wheelbase of the car. Thereafter, upon swinging the wheels in either direction, the numerical values indicated by opposite pointers should be equal, and if they are not, the extent of the inaccuracy is of course indicated by the extent to which they vary.

For bending the axle to correct inaccuracies disclosed by the described checking devices, as well as to correct distortion of'the axle itself, I preferably employ the device shown in Figures 23 to 28 inclusive, comprising a heavy cast or forged frame |00 having a rigid arm |0| angularly projecting therefrom and yoked at its end to support a nut |02, which is trunnioned and rockable in the opposite arms of the yoke on its supporting stub shafts |03.

Pivotally attached to the farther end of the frame |00, as by means of the pin |04, is a bending arm |05, also bifurcated at its outer end and similarly pivotally supporting, as by means of the stub shafts |06, a traveler nut |01. The screw shaft |08, formed in two oppositely threaded halves, is threaded at its opposite ends into the nuts |02-|0`|, and may be turned in any suitable fashion, as by means of the ratchet wrench |09, to swing the arm |05 toward and from the arm |0|. The other end of the arm |05 projects from the opposite side of the fulcrum pin |04 and is provided with a nose portion |05a adapted to exert a powerful cam-like action against an axle or other adjacent part when forced thereagainst by means of the jack screw |08.

A plurality of transverse holes, as ||2, H3 and |4, extend through the frame |00 at various points therealong, and a similar aperture ||0 extends through the arm |05 at a point spaced from its pivot pin |04 and clear of the frame |00. By means of the apertures ||0||4 inclusive, and the removable coupling pins |5-| |511, heavy looped shackling members as ||6| |1 are adapted to be secured to the frame |00 and the arm |05, as best shown in Figures 24 to 28 inclusive. These shackles may be passed over various portions of an axle or other work to be bent, in the manner shown, to grapple the straightening devicethereto, and by the exertion of pullingl force upon the shackles by means of the jack screw, bending stress may be exerted upon the axle.

In Figure 24 a typical utilization of the device is shown in which force is applied to the end of the axle to bend it down at the approximate point marked 8. This will be seen to effect an increase of the camber angle. When used in this fashion a block as ||9 is interposed between the axle and a midsection of the body of the straightening device, while the bight portions of the shackles against the top of the axle by so turning the jack shaft |08 as to force the arm |05 toward the arm |0|.

A reverse bending operation is indicated in Figure 25, in which the shackle ||1 will be seen to have been shifted to apoint near the middle of the body of the device while the block |20 has been arranged between its fixed end and the upturned end of the axle in such manner that thrust transmitted therethrough may bend the axle upward. The arm |05 has been drawn in to an initial position in which it lies close to the arm |0I, and it will be seen that when the device is applied to the axle in the manner shown and the arms forced apart by properly turning the IIS-H1 are pulled downward y Jack shaft, the nose |05a and thrust block |20 may be forced upward relatively to the midsection which is restrained by the shackle to bend the end of the axle upward (also substantially about the point designated by the arrow H8), 5 thereby to decrease the camber of a wheel carried by this end of the axle.

The arrangement of the device to perform a transverse bending operation upon an axle is shown in Figure 26.v In this view the shackles 10i ||6- are arranged to exert a downward pull relatively to the centrally `positioned interposed thrust blocks |2| when the arm |05 is moved toward the arm |0|, in a manner which will be' seen tol be somewhat analogous to the bending 15 operation shown in Figure 24.

In order that twisting operations may be performed upon the axle,.to enable changing the casterv angle, I preferably provide a twisting bar, as |22, having a hooked end which is so formed ,o that it may be rmly engaged with the flanges of axles of conventional I-beam cross-section, in the manner clearly shown in Figures 27 and 28, While either end of the bending device may bearranged to exert pressure on the laterally prog5' jecting arm of the hooked member 22 in a desired direction, the body of the straightener being clamped to the axle in any of various ways, depending upon the direction and twisting effect desired. In Figure 27 the rigid end of the 30 straightener is shown secured to the upturned end of aconventional dropped axle, as by means of the shackle H1, while the movable nose portion |05a is so arranged against the laterally-'extending arm of the bar |22 that when the arms 35 |0 l-I 05 are forced apart, a strong twisting effect may be exerted upon the axle, the twisting bar being secured to a mid-portion of the axle.

In Figure 28 the bending tool is shown in reversed position and farther in on the axle, while 40 the bar |22 is connected to the extremity of the axle. Here again tensile strain is exerted upon the centrally positioned shackle ||1 and a reverse thrust upon the end of the twisting bar m, which is thereby turned about its hooked 45 extremity to twist the end of the axle.

While it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiment of my invention herein disclosed is well calculated to adequately fulfill the objects and advantages primarily stated, it is to be un- 50 derstood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modification and change within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A bending device comprising a longitudinal 55 frame, a rigid arm extending laterally from one side of the frame, another arm pivotally attached to the frame at a point spaced from said rigid arm and having a portion projecting in the same direction as the rigid arm, said swingable arm 60 also having a shorter bendingportion extending from the opposite side of the frame, means for securing an object to be bent to said frame between said arms, and jack means for moving said swingable arm with relation to the frame 65 and rigid arm, said arms and frame lying in substantially the same plane 2. A bending device comprising a frame having pivot portions longitudinally spaced therealong, a rigid arm extending laterally from the 70 frame, a swingable bending arm laterally extensible from the frame near the other end and rockable with relation thereto about one of said pivot portions, said arms and frame lying substantially in the same plane, a jack articu- 75 2, 17a/eea -ri'rame, and grappling and bending portions securable to the frame at said spaced pivot portions and engageabie with work desired to be bent. said bending arm ,being rockable with relation to the frame about either of a plurality of axes. l

`3. A bending device comprising a frame having pivot portions longitudinally spaced therealong,` a rigid arm extending laterally from the frame near oneend, a swingable bending arm laterally extensible from the frame, near the other end and rockable with relation thereto about one of said pivot portions. said arms and frame lying substantially in the same plane, a jack articulated to said arms, means for operating the jack to swing the bending arm with relation to the frame, and grappling and bending portions securable to the frame at said spaced pivot portions and engageable with work desired to be bent, an additional pivot portion carried by said bending arm at a point spaced from its fulcrum and adapted to accommodate a grappling or bending element which acts in tension when the arm isl rocked.

4. A bending'device comprising a rigid longitudinal frame, a pair of arms carried thereby and spaced from each other and projecting from the frame generally in the same direction, one of said arms being rigid and the other swingable with respect to the frame, a cam-like bending portion carried by said swingable arm and pressure-exerting means for moving said arm with respect to the rigid arm, said arms and frame lying in substantially the same place.

5. A bending device comprising a rigid frame having pivot portions longitudinally spaced therealong, a rigid arm extending laterally from the frame near one end thereof, a swingable bending arm laterally extensible from the frame near the other end and rockable with relation theretoabout oney of said pivot portions, said arms and frame lying substantially in the same plane, a jack articulated to said arms, means for operating the jack to swing the bending arm with relation to the frame, and grappling and bending portions securable to the frame at said spaced pvot portions intermediate the arms and engageable with work desired to be bent.

SIDNEY W. MARTIN. 

